292 



NATURE 



[January 6, 19 10 



of organic, others of inorganic, origin. So far, however, 

 as any direct evidence goes, " the great petroleum pools 

 . . . may have been derived from carbonaceous matter of 

 vegetable or animal origin . . . (or) from carbides of iron 

 or other metals." The possibility of the latter origin led 

 Mr. Becker to consult Dr. L. A. Bauer's map of magnetic 

 declination in the United States. This he reproduces, 

 marking on it where petroleum exists, and concludes:— 

 " What the map does prove is that petroleum is intimately 

 associated with magnetic disturbances similar to those 

 arising from the neighbourhood of minerals possessing 

 sensible magnetic attraction. . . . Henceforth no geological 

 theory of petroleum will be acceptable which does not 

 explam this association." Mr. Becker's conclusions, if 

 confirmed, promise a new and important sphere of useful- 

 ness for magnetic surveys. 



The Patents and Designs Act. 1Q07, forms the subject 

 of an article, by Mr. George Schuster, in the December 

 (iqoq) number of the Economic Journal. Mr. Schuster 

 deals mainly with the eflfect which the Act has had upon 

 the practice pursued by some foreigners of taking out 

 British patents for the purpose, not of working them in 

 the L'nited Kingdom, but of preventing them being worked 

 there. He states that there has not been any petition for 

 revocation under Sec. 27 in which the revocation would 

 have led to the establishment of an important industrv 

 m the United Kingdom, and points out that this fact 

 w-hen considered in conjunction with the other evidence' 

 affords conclusive proof that the original evil was greatlv 

 exaggerated, and accordingly that the hopes of benefits to 

 be felt on its removal could not in anv case have been 

 realised. This conclusion justifies the note of warning 

 given ,n Nature for July 23, 1908, immediately before 

 Sec 27 came into operation, in the following words — 



Much has been written lately as to the benefits to this 

 country likely to be produced by this section, and in some 

 cases there has been considerable exaggeration of the 

 probable effects. 



Prof. R. H. Smith contributes an article on a new 

 formula for the total heat of steam in the Engineer for 

 I^ecember 24. 1909. Prof. Smith has been led to analvse 

 the law of total heat algebraically in consequence of the 

 publication of a new set of tables compiled bv Prof. L s" 

 Marks and Mr. H. N. Davis, of Harvard Universitv! 

 These tables are consistent between their different columns 

 and also seem to give data really trustworthv for com- 

 paratively strict accuracy. The formula, which represents 

 with complete accuracy the figures of the new table 

 throughout the whole range from 70° F. to 500° F is 

 as follows : — o ., i^ 



TL.tal heat from 32" F. of 5aturaleti steam : 



H = lS26 + /-l£52^° 

 1620 -/ 



The author gives an abbreviated table for comparison of 

 the tabular numbers given by Marks with the results as 

 «:alculated by the new formula ; the comparison shows very 

 close agreement, excepting for temperatures below 60" F. 

 and above 500° F. It will, of course, be remembered that 

 ■t IS very difficult to make accurate heat experiments on 

 very low-pressure steam, and also that no trustworthv ex- 

 permental data as yet exists for temperatures above 

 400 F., the tabular numbers given by Marks having been 

 extrapolated. 



In the note on Mr. Knocker's address on the arrange- 

 ment of ethnological collections in provincial museums in 

 NO. 2097, VOL. 82] 



N.1TURE of December 16, 1909 (p. 198), the word geo- 

 graphical should have been non-geographical. 



Messrs. Willmms and Norgate will publish almost 

 immediately " Beet-sugar Making and its Chemical Con- 

 ttol," by Air. Y. Nikaido. The author has endeavoured 

 to explain, not only the practical operations of sugar-house 

 stations, but also the fundamental principles involved in 

 the various processes of the sugar house and in the 

 methods for analysis of various sugar-house products. 



Messrs. W. and G. Fovle, 135 Charing Cross Road, 

 London, W.C., have just issued a new edition of a 

 classified catalogue of scientific and technical books. The 

 catalogue contains a selection of books which can be sup- 

 plied both new and second-hand, and, so far as it goes, it 

 should prove of service to students seeking books on 

 particular subjects. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Astronomical Occurrences in January: — 

 Jan. 7. 5h. Venus at greatest brilliancy. 



,, gh. Saturn at quadrature to the Sun. 

 8. I4h. Neptune at opposition to the Sun. 



10. ih. Mercury at'greatest elongation, 19 2' E. of the 



Sun. 



11. oh. 14m. Uranus in conjunction with the Moon 



(Uranus 3 9' N.). 

 ,, l8h. Uranus in conjunction with the Sun. 



12. gh. 12m. Mercury in conjunction with the Moon 



(Mercury 4" 33' N.). 



13. I5h. 22m. Venus in conjunction with the Moon 



(Venus 7' 43' N.). 



16. I2h. Mercury stationary. 



17. 3h. 45m. Saturn in conjunction with the Moon 



(Saturn 1° 34' N.). 

 ,, i6h. Mars at quadrature to the Sun. 

 ,, igh. 19m. Mars in conjunction with the Moon 



(Mars 4° 25' N). 

 20. 2h. Venus stationary. 

 23. i6h. 5m. Neptune in conjunction with the Moon 



(Neptune 4° 5' S.). 



29. 2lh. Jupiter stationary. 



30. I2h. 5rn. Jupiter in conjunction with the Moon 



(Jupiter 2°45'S.). 



Hallev's Comet. — The following is an extract from the 

 corrected ephcmeris for Hallev's comet published by Mr. 

 ~ 4379 of the .istronomische Nach- 



for Greenwich Noon. 



log r 



0'2984 



0-1568 

 0-1704 

 o 1851 



O-2O0I 



0-2147 

 0-2284 



+ 10 56 



+ 10 15 ... — 



+ 9 39 ... 02664 



4- 9 9 ... -- 



+ S 45 ... 0-2310 



+ 8 27 ... — 



Thus we see the comet is about to pass from Aries into 

 Pisces, and may be observed, with a sufficiently powerful 

 instrument, at any time during the evening before mid- 

 night. 



Observations made at Utrecht on November 8, 13, 17, 

 19, and 21, 1909, by Drs. Nijiand and J. v. d. Bilt, in- 

 dicated the increase of brightness shown by the following 

 magnitudes :— 13-5, 13-0, 12-8, 12-8, and 127. 



Elements and Epiiemeris for Daniel's Comet, 19096. 

 — In No. 4370 of the .istronomische Nachrichten Dr. Ebell 

 gives a set of new elements and an ephemeris for Daniel's 

 comet, 1909?. From these we learn that perihelion passage 

 occurred on 1909 November 27-6694 (M.T. Berlin), and 

 tl\jat the comet is now but little more than half as bright 

 as it was at the time of discovery. Its position for 



